Chad: President Déby Forms Pioneer Fourth Republic Cabinet

Some 10 senior regime officials were fired from the 30-member team that includes 9 women.

After the vote of the new constitution by Parliament on April 30, 2018 and its promulgation by President Idriss Déby Itno on May 4, 2018, a cabinet was formed on May 7, 2018. The team is the first under Chad’s fourth republic that provides for “integral presidential democracy” without a Prime Minister or Vice President. It comprises 24 ministers, two Ministers of State and four Secretaries of State. The new ministers are to take oaths of office before the President.

Radio France International, RFI on May 8, 2018 reported that the new cabinet includes 9 women in line with President Déby’s wish to involve more females in political decision-making. Ten former ministers were fired, including those of Infrastructure, Finance and Petroleum. Kassire Coumakoye, Déby’s former Prime Minister from 1993 to 995, and then from 2007 to 2008, becomes Minister of State, Adviser at the Presidency; while Barrister Jean-Bernard Padare is the new Minister of State in charge of Infrastructure.

Bichara Issa Djadallah, Minister of Defence and Security, and Mahamat Zene Cherif, Foreign Affairs Minister, retained their positions. While signing the new constitution over the weekend, Idriss Déby Itno, who has been in power since 1990, asked for assistance from partners to organise parliamentary polls next November. The elections were supposed to have held since 2015, but were postponed.

On December 31, 2017, the Head of State announced that parliamentary polls will hold this year, but did not mention the month. The third legislature was initially due to end on June 21, 2015, but the tenure was extended. In February 2017, the elections were postponed indefinitely because of lack of funds, President Déby explained. He even suggested that the polls could not hold before 2019.

Meanwhile, Idriss Déby’s offer of amnesty to exiled nationals and his appeal to them to feel free to return home has met with a cautious response. Leaders of several armed groups based in Libya and Sudan said it was difficult to take the offer serious given that such measures were reportedly not implemented faithfully in the past.